Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Color Me Happy Today

It's stopped snowing, and the sun is out in all it's glory. I've talked with both my children and know that they are victims of this massive storm whirling its way from Texas to the Northeast, but they're safe and warm. We'll all wait it out until normal routines can resume.

Some very good news has also made me unbelievably happy today. I have a dear friend whom I met in my first online writers group. Molly came to our small town mystery conference in Manhattan several years ago. She flew in from Atlanta and stayed with us. It was our first face-to-face meeting, and we had a great time. She came again for the next conference. Besides Molly, another writer friend and a publisher stayed at our house on that occasion. We four women had some fun pajama-time conversations after the meetings were over each day.

Molly and I both moved on to writersandcritters online critique group when our first one died. We've gone to the wac conferences together, and we keep in touch via e-mail. Molly writes mystery novels primarily, but she's also written a historical fiction novel. Due to many things in her personal life, she left our online group and even gave up writing to pursue another love--quilting--more fully.

To say we who are in the wac have missed Molly is a major understatement. We've missed her super-good critiques, her interesting subs, and her great wit when a discussion of any sort was floating through our cyberspace lives. She attended our last conference, and I'd though that might give her the inspiration to begin writing again. I listened as she gave an oral critique and had high hopes she'd return to the group. But, it didn't happen.

This past week, she spent a few days with Joyce, the moderator of our group. Joyce must have great powers of persuasion. Molly returned to Atlanta yesterday, and today she returned to our wac group. She says she hasn't written anything in two years so may be rusty. I doubt that.

Color me happy today because the storm has passed on and Molly is back in my online group. Maybe I can persuade her to make a guest appearance on my blog.

About Me

I have been published in 18 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, several other anthologies, newspapers, magazines and ezines. My writing includes award winning fiction for children, creative nonfiction, poetry, travel and personal essays. I was named Prose Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Kansas Authors Club. A former teacher, I continue to teach through the written word.